Taking A Bite Out Of Crime

Yes, it's early. But I'm totally wired up right now. You see, Katy just rode off in the back of a sheriff's car.

She was up closing our front windows and noticed a minivan doing a slow cruise of our block. She got suspicious when she saw a couple kids jump out and examine our neighbor's truck. They pulled up next to another neighbor's car and stopped. When she saw the dome light in that car come on she came to wake me up.

"I think somebody's stealing a car stereo out front. I'm going to go get the license plate."

My protective instincts had me awake quickly and I told her that I would go check it out. I pulled on some shorts and told her to call 911, but they were gone before I could get out the door. I walked down to survey the damage, and sure enough the dashboard was smashed up and the stereo was missing. I felt bad for the victim - in this case, the same kid who threw "the big party," - but that seemed like the end of the story. Have you ever heard of a stolen car stereo being recovered? Me either.

A quick aside: As I walked back up to my house, another car came around the corner and slowed as they approached. I was getting a little freaked out - not many people are driving around my 'hood at 1:30 in the morning. I felt a little silly when they tossed a newspaper on my driveway.

Anyway, sheriff's deputies came by about five minutes later and told us they thought they had the offending parties pulled over. (I am duly impressed with the efficiency of the local constabulary on this point.) The owner of the car had come out by then - turns out he had seen some of the action as well - and the deputies took them both to do a field ID on the minivan and the missing stereo.

How's that for a little Monday morning excitement?

[Epilogue: The stereo was returned within an hour of the theft. Don't mess with the redhead.]